A Technology

Roadmap for
Smarter Sourcing
Jim McCoy
Vice President, Practice Lead
ManpowerGroup Solutions, North America

Every day we hear about hot trends in sourcing technology.

Tools evolve continuously, so how do employers make good
long-term technology investments when both requirements
and technical capabilities constantly change?
Tomorrows technology will differ from todays. New jobs will be created; others will become obsolete and
candidates will be evaluated against new criteria. All of this impacts the way we evaluate sourcing technology
from an integration, administration and capability standpoint.
Ultimately, HR professionals need sourcing technology that connects them to candidates. Rather than
making a long-term, point-in-time decision, ManpowerGroup Solutions recommends an approach that
maximizes existing resources while leaving room to explore new technologies. In other words, the strategy
for sourcing technology must be agile to adapt to rapid changes in both the talent marketplace and in
recruiting innovations.

Where to Start
A common pitfall is to buy or license technology because it is marketed well.
If you are the technology buyer, ask the following questions before investing:
What sourcing resources do we already have? Are they fully optimized?
How do we stay current and buy only the products that add
value to our business?
Does our current sourcing strategy maximize our employer brand?
How does the brand impact the sourcing strategy?
How do we calculate risk and ROI when it comes to new technology?
What is the right mix of current and new technology?
What is a good planning cycle for technology innovation?
If you think through these questions, you are more likely to make better technology decisions.

A 2012 Aberdeen Group study found that 52 percent of HR executives surveyed reported they struggled
to source enough qualified candidates to fill available openings. The same study found that only 18 percent
of companies could use data to connect sourcing efforts to profitability.1 These findings underscore the need
to carefully consider all aspects of sourcing technology and measure their impact.

Laurano, Madeline. Sourcing Gets Smart: Revamping Strategies, Rethinking Technology. Aberdeen Group, April 2012.
A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR SOURCING

TECHNOLOGY
In todays environment, uncertainty is the only certainty. Market volatility makes it difficult to forecast hiring.
Rapid response to changing dynamics requires efficient processes. Sourcing technologies that are more
attuned to your business can speed response to hiring demands.

There are three key actions in identifying the right sourcing

technologies to meet your needs:

PLAN

PLAN
ENGAGE
EVALUATE

ENGAGE

EVALUATE

1. PLAN FOR SOURCING TECHNOLOGY:

ASSESS CURRENT AND DESIRED STATES
Establish objectives | Know what you have | Understand potential impacts
on employer brand | Get the right sourcing talent | Budget for a well-rounded effort

Establish objectives
Start by identifying your companys business objectives and assessing the talent required to achieve them.
What do you need from a talent sourcing standpoint? Where are the gaps and what needs to change? With
these answers you can evaluate new technology against one important question: does the technology help
generate the right candidates to meet your talent sourcing objectives?

Know what you have

Many businessesespecially those with more complex or matrixed organizationsdo not have a complete
picture of what technology is already available in-house. This is often the case when recruiters work in
varying business lines and geographies or recruit for different skill sets. Without fully understanding what is
already deployed, companies risk duplication and unnecessary expense.
ManpowerGroup Solutions regularly conducts assessments of our clients technology to identify
opportunities to optimize existing systems. We invest time and resources to understand how new
technologies differ from existing products and how they can give our clients a sourcing advantage.
Critical Question: Does new technology provide additional capability?

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

Understand potential impacts on employer brand

How you use technology to advance your sourcing strategy is strongly linked to employer branding.
All companies need to make sure that their technology provides the desired brand experience.
Some companies are masters at this, but all companies need to pay attention to the link between
sourcing talent and employer branding.
Your customers and candidates are often one and the same. The key is to ensure that each candidate
has a positive experience so that even if they are not hired, they will continue to be loyal customers
and have a positive feeling about the brand.

A global food and beverage retailer determined that a loyal consumer spends
on average $15,000 on its products over the span of 20 years. If 20 percent of
customer candidates for every 1,000 of their job openings had a negative experience
and were lost as consumers, it would result in an $8.7 million loss in future sales.
The recruiting process is full of opportunities to reinforce a positive client brand and the right sourcing
technology can significantly enhance it. But using any technology is a two-way street. Just as companies
expect candidates to be familiar with technology, candidates expect potential employers to use certain
platforms and technologies. Simply put, if your tools are outdated, your company runs the risk of missing
out on qualified candidates.
Critical Question: Is our use of technology maximizing opportunities to positively
influence our brand loyalty?

Get the right sourcing talent

The best technology tools are only effective in the hands of recruiters who know how to use them.
Companies with highly successful sourcing efforts report the best recruiters are innately curious
and passionate about finding great people and matching them to the right positions. Recruiters use
technology, but they dont need to be tech experts. What matters is that they have the skill set and
aptitude to embrace new opportunities, think creatively and be early adopters of new technology.
No matter the technical comfort level, the good news is that a lot of the learning is at low or no cost
(such as free or low-cost webinars, how-to blogs or product demonstrations). The key is to find and
support recruiters who are passionate about applying new learning to their work. These are the qualities
that cannot necessarily be taught.
Critical Question: Is your team trained and equipped with the resources necessary
to optimize sourcing technology?

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

Budget for a well-rounded effort

Some of the most effective sourcing platforms can be inexpensive. The key is to plan for an appropriate mix
of technology. Consider conservative approacheswhether they are software-based, subscription models,
or any number of offeringsas well as experimental efforts. Some leading employers recommend an 80/20
budget mix of the tried-and-true versus innovative opportunities. This allows HR leaders to have some
freedom to try new approaches. As an added bonus, it sends the message that the company is comfortable
with experimentation.
Critical Question: Do the allocated resources allow for the appropriate amount of testing
and experimentation?

PLAN
ENGAGE
EVALUATE

2. ENGAGE WITH SOURCING TECHNOLOGY:

EMBRACE CHANGE AND THINK DIFFERENTLY
Dont be afraid to fail | Get creative
Stay away from the hype. Challenge your own assumptions

Dont be afraid to fail

When it comes to technology, serial dating may be better than marriage. Technology changes constantly.
Some of the best innovations are short lived. Be comfortable with that.
The most innovative companies are not afraid to fail. They believe trial and error are part of an effective plan.
Willingness to try new things also says something important about company culture. As one recruiter put it,
We wont be able to attract talent if were constantly afraid to try new things.
Some companies love to be early adopters. These employers partner with developers to pilot new kinds of
technology. It is a great way to experiment and it enables the recruiters to be the first to learn a new product.
These companies are often willing to test out the latest tools, e.g. hosting a new social media platform.
They may or may not find candidates. Either way, there is value in the exploration.
Critical Question: Is failure an accepted part of your plan?

Get creative
Your sourcing technology strategy can provide recruiters with freedom to think differently and leverage
technology in innovative ways. For example, one company encouraged employees to use their own
sourcing channels to refer friends. The process was gamifiedessentially delivered as a competition
with bonuses and even candy for referrals. Recruiters received referral messages via Twitter and
Facebook and each referring employee became a potential source of ready-to-be-leveraged leads.

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

This is an example of a simple, but effective tactic.

The message is clear: lose the stereotypes. The notion
that the only good ideas are those that have succeeded
in the past does not apply. The age of technology and
innovation calls for thinking outside the box.
Willingness to experiment can position an employer at the
forefront of new technologies, particularly as it relates to social
media. This is not lost on candidates, who take note when
companies do things differently. The result can be improved
candidate attraction, especially among younger workers.

IMPROVE CANDIDATE ATTRACTION

/3

of millenials say reputation

for innovation is key factor
in choosing an employer 2

Critical Question: Do recruiters have the freedom to engage candidates in new ways?

Stay away from the hype. Challenge your own assumptions.

It is easy to get caught up in the latest trend and assume it will be great for your company. But this may not
be true. Whether or not a certain technology is the right fit will depend on the specific job roles and skills
required, along with the nature of your business. The key is to consider the potential return carefully, while
also opening up the possibility of new ways of operating.
First, take a close look at the ROI associated with popular subscription models. Just because everyone
uses them, does not mean they are right for you. Look at the type of presence your candidates have
on a particular platforme.g., are they more likely to be on LinkedIn or Stack Overflow? What is their
gold standard? Consider using technologies that offer free tools which may prove to be sufficient. Some
technology considered dated might continue to be effective for your purposes. For example, job boards,
which are often mistaken as losing importance, continue to be far more impactful than many people believe.
In fact, job boards are responsible for six times as many hires as social media recruiting.3

INTERNET JOB BOARD

(SUCH AS CRAIGSLIST OR HOT JOBS)

32%

REFERRAL FROM PROFESSIONAL

OR PERSONAL CONTACTS

31%

NEWSPAPER

26%

COMPANY CAREER SITE

22%

INTERNAL JOB LISTING

FOR CURRENT EMPLOYEES
ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK
(SUCH AS A TWITTER POST OR LINKEDIN POSTING)
CAREER FAIR
RECRUITER (AGENCY OR INDEPENDENT)
OTHER

18%
16%
13%
11%
13%

40%

of Job Seekers
credit a referral from
professional/personal
contacts OR an online
social network for
landing/securing a
job/position or for
getting employed

How to Navigate the Human Age. ManpowerGroup Solutions Borderless Talent Solutions, 2012
Dougherty, Jim. Job Recruiters Use Social to Vet Prospects Rather than Find Them. Social Media Today. January 24, 2014.
http://socialmediatoday.com/leaderswest/2107916/infographic-job-recruiters-use-social-vet-prospects-rather-find-them

2 
3

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

Finally, it is important to consider less obvious technology options. Sourcing in the trucking industry is an
example of an often overlooked opportunity. Drivers consistently show up on the list of the most difficult jobs
to fill as identified by employers in ManpowerGroups Annual Talent Shortage Survey. Nevertheless, trucking
companies rarely look to social media to source candidates. The assumption is that this type of technology
is not used by truck drivers, and that it is not integrated into the necessary skill set. The irony is that drivers
use social platforms to stay in touch with family and friends when they are on the road; making it one of the
best ways to target experienced candidates.
Critical Question: Does your plan allow for new ways of thinking?

Evolution of Sourcing with Technology

Traditional Sourcing

Sourcing Supported by Technology

Segregated/stand-alone

Integrated with various systems

Local focus and delivery

Global reach and capabilities

Single media

Uses multimedia

Recruiters work in silos

Enables collaboration

Time-consuming
manual process

Improves recruiting efficienty

Limited availability of data

Business intelligence
through data analytics

Limited access to
candidate information

Comprehensive candidate profiles

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

Sourcing Snapshot
A global software company serving some 50 million customers has varied talent needs.
Not surprisingly, there is a significant emphasis on hiring top-tier technical talent. Their approach
to technology is wide-ranging and constantly evolving. Heres a quick look at their framework:
Strategic: They start by looking for the right skill sets. While some companies prefer to
recruit for a job profile or fit, they have hard-to-find skills needs that warrant a skills-first
approach. Technology solutions are geared toward sourcing the exact skills the company
needs or is projected to need.
Flexible: The organization recognizes that theres more than one approach to sourcing.
They encourage recruiters to be creative within the context of whatever approach works
best for the individual recruiter. In other words, while some recruiters may excel at offline
networking, for others social media engagement is a leading competency. The organization
wants to benefit from both.
Enterprising: As a result, the recruiters want to be the first to try new technology.
This means that HR professionals are able to beta test the newest technology and
provide feedback. In addition, they are encouraged to test out new social applications
to determine what works best. Failure is seen as merely a learning experience.
Relationship-driven: Although technology often emphasizes the opportunity to reach
large pools of candidates, these recruiters see the potential to individualize the candidate
experience. For example, recruiters will follow programmers on Twitter, Slideshare, and
Stack Overflow. Rather than sending them direct mail, theyll retweet content, share videos
or stats, and comment on presentations or forums. Over time, this approach enables deeper
engagement and understanding of the candidate than a typical cold-call. It also speaks
volumes about the organizations point of view of people.
Data-conscious: The company sees its technology engagement as an opportunity to
better understand its candidates. For example, after years of simply asking candidates
about their source of hire, they found that many had multiple points of contact and arent
able to articulate the actual source. As a result, the company is putting effort into analytics
that can better track the overall engagement with a candidate.
Ultimately, the choice of technology depends on how well it fits with a companys
recruiting culture, which seeks to inform, engage and educate online before involving
candidates offline.

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

PLAN
ENGAGE

3. EVALUATE SOURCING TECHNOLOGY:

MEASURE AND REFINE, THEN REPEAT
THE PROCESS

EVALUATE

Track and evaluate data from beginning to end

Metrics and data collection efforts are on the rise. Companies collect and analyze every available piece of
sourcing data for their impact on strategic goals. Data analysis can drive insights and inform overall sourcing
strategy alongside other business goals. The best recruiters use data analysis to micro-target talent and tailor
it for current and anticipated workforce needs. They have the capacity to deploy Big Data insights across the
entire recruitment process.
The efforts of an organization to pinpoint the source of hire, as seen in the sourcing snapshot, are a
perfect example of leveraging data to improve sourcing results. Another example is a telecommunications
company that sought to better understand the profiles of their most successful candidates so they could
source accordingly. After taking a close look at their best customer service performers, the company found
their assumptions were incorrect about what made for the highest performers. They were wrong about
experience, education, skills and advancement interests. Armed with this new knowledge, they were able
to refine their sourcing strategy to reach a far more targeted audience.
Critical Question: Are we able to track and measure results? Does data collection support
continuous improvement?

PLAN, ENGAGE, EVALUATE

The market is saturated with technologies to support candidate sourcing and it continues to grow. Increasing
workforce mobility and scarcity of skills mean the stakes to find the right talent are raised. With technology
promising multiple ways to achieve your objectives faster, cheaper and more efficiently, the challenge of
choosing the best technology to address your specific needs becomes more daunting. An effective sourcing
technology framework takes into account not only the newest technology, but the right technology mix to
meet your companys unique sourcing objectives.
In todays uncertain environment, you must act swiftly and creatively to engage the most sought-after talent.
A strategic framework for identifying sourcing technology is a business imperative. When executed effectively,
this framework aligns technology with business objectives, enabling organizational agility and, ultimately, the
successful targeting of candidates.

PLAN
ENGAGE
EVALUATE
8

Assess Current and Desired States

Embrace Change and Think Differently
Measure and Refine, then Repeat the Process

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR SMARTER SOURCING

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